Opening Keynote

My Journey of Leadership and Advocacy- Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, American Medical Association President

Dr. Mukkamala will outline his path of growing up in Flint, to becoming a practicing physician, and then national leader in health care. He’ll talk about what inspired him along the way, the challenges he faced, and the lessons he learned both in school and in his career. His presentation will offer an inside look at what it’s really like to work in medicine – and highlight how skills like math and understanding data help people make smarter decisions about their health, think critically about information, and become more informed and engaged members of their communities.

Breakout Sessions

Soak It All Up: The Pulse of Data Science in Healthcare - Jeffrey Funck, RN

Why does a nurse care about data science? In this session, we’ll connect the dots between healthcare, math, and science to reveal the hidden patterns driving modern medicine. Discover how real-world health challenges are being solved with quantitative thinking and gain a new perspective on how your technical expertise fits into the mission of human healing. Come ready to soak up the possibilities of a multi-disciplinary career. 

Measuring Microplastics in the Environment- Dr. Janice Tomasik & Dr. Dale LeCaptain, Central Michigan university H2OQ

Students use a hands‑on microplastics experiment to investigate whether tiny plastic particles are present in environmental water samples. By pooling data across groups, students examine patterns, variability, and uncertainty before discussing what additional information would be needed to support real‑world decisions. The session emphasizes that detecting microplastics is only the first step toward understanding their environmental significance.

Decoding the Sky: Weather and Math- Jacklyn Anderson, NOAA

Ever wonder how your phone knows it will start raining at exactly 2:02 PM? It isn’t magic—it’s a massive calculation involving the entire planet. In this session, we’ll go "under the hood" of a weather forecast. We will explore how we turn the wind, sun, and clouds into a giant math problem that supercomputers solve every single day. We’ll show you how physics provides the rules of the game, and math provides the way to win.

Data and Control Systems: How to Make the World Do What You Want- Dr. Diane Peters, Kettering University

This session will focus on control systems and the importance of data in controls. Students will learn about the math and data that's used to set up controllers and will be able to participate in an activity to control a system themselves. The system they use will have a simple controller that they can program, then deploy to the system and see how it behaves. 

Laboratory Science Essentials- Tom Downs, McClaren Medical Laboratory

This session introduces the principles and practices of clinical laboratory science, a field essential to modern healthcare.  Attendees will explore how laboratory testing supports disease diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prevention. Topics include basic overviews of key disciplines such as hematology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, and immunology. The session also highlights the role of laboratory professionals in ensuring accurate and timely results that guide clinical decisions. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, data interpretation, and the integration of laboratory findings with patient care. By the end, attendees will understand how laboratory science contributes to improve health outcomes and the overall healthcare system.

From Samples to Data: Environmental Chemistry in the Flint River- Dr. Janice Tomasik & Dr. Dale LeCaptain, Central Michigan university H2OQ

In this hands on session, students collect real water quality data from the Flint River using H₂O Q testing kits. The focus is on sampling choices, measurement variability, and how environmental data is created in the field, before questions of accuracy are fully resolved. Students leave with real results and an understanding that collecting a number is only the first step in environmental data science. 

Planes, Trains, ... and TI?- Tom Steinke, Texas Instruments

In this collaborative, creative, hands-on session, we will code robotic cars and drones. This will have you reimagining what STEM can look and feel like. No coding experience needed … just curiosity!

ROS2 Robotics and Cybersecurity Demonstration - Dr. Rui Zhu, Kettering University

This interactive demonstration introduces students to autonomous robotics, ROS 2, and wireless cybersecurity using the UGV Beast mobile robot platform. Participants will explore how modern robots use ROS 2 nodes, topics, sensors, and real-time communication to perform navigation and mapping tasks. Live demonstrations will include robot teleoperation, LiDAR-based 2D mapping, 3D visualization with depth cameras, and real-time sensor monitoring using RViz2. The session will also feature an educational WiFi security demonstration showing how WPA2 authentication and password attacks work in a controlled test environment using Kali Linux and aircrack-ng. Students will gain exposure to robotics, cybersecurity, wireless systems, and AI-driven autonomous technologies through practical demonstrations and interactive discussion. 

How Data Can be Used to Deceive- Dr. Wendy Johnson, National Center for Science Education

Misinformation is all over social media, so how do we discern fact from fiction? You will learn how data can be used to deceive people to get them to change their mind about a topic, buy a product, vote for a certain candidate, or support a particular cause. Then you will put your skills to the test by developing a deceptive claim using real data.

What Makes a Weld Work… or Fail? Exploring STEM Careers in Welding- Mr. Alexander Loney, Genesee Career Institute

This interactive session explores how math and science drive real-world welding, fabrication, and inspection. Students will rotate through hands-on stations where they investigate heat transfer, measurement, and quality control, which are key concepts that determine whether a weld succeeds or fails per code book acceptance criteria. Activities will include analyzing weld samples, using measurement tools, and exploring how heat affects metal behavior.

Throughout the session, students will see how concepts like geometry, energy, and data analysis are applied in industry to build and evaluate critical structures. In addition to the technical learning, this experience highlights multiple career pathways within the welding field, including welder, fabricator, welding inspector, welding engineering. Students will gain insight into how these roles rely on both hands-on skills and strong STEM knowledge, helping them connect classroom learning to high-demand, real-world careers.

How Do We Know? Blanks, Standards and Honest Data Stories- Dr. Janice Tomasik & Dr. Dale LeCaptain, Central Michigan university H2OQ

This session focuses on determining how much environmental data can be trusted by testing blanks and known standards and revisiting earlier measurements. Students explore data quality checks, basic statistics, error bars, and graph design to understand how uncertainty should be communicated not hidden. Using real, imperfect data, students learn how scientists decide what claims data can and cannot support. 

Data-Driven Solutions to Climate Change- Dr. Wendy Johnson, National Center for Science Education

Climate change is affecting our world and data science is a powerful tool for identifying promising solutions. You will learn about climate solutions and use a computer model to develop a plan for reaching the goal of net zero emissions.

Numbers Matter: Real-Life Math in Patient Care- Michelle Murphy RN, Genesee Career Institute

This interactive session explores how math is used every day in healthcare to ensure patient safety. Students will engage in hands-on activities including pediatric weight-based dosing, medication calculations, and real-world scenarios involving maximum dosage limits. Participants will calculate and measure a liquid medication dose, reinforcing the importance of accuracy and attention to detail. The session will also introduce key concepts in healthcare and the importance of math including IV flow rates, vital signs interpretation, and intake and output monitoring. Through guided practice and clinical connections, students will see how math directly impacts patient outcomes and develop confidence in applying these skills in real healthcare settings. 

How AI Learns: Train a Simple Model by Hand- Andrew Spiece, Genesee Career Institute

In this interactive session, students will explore how artificial intelligence learns from data by becoming the “computer” themselves. Working in small groups, students will sort sample data, look for patterns, make predictions, and see how changing the data changes the results. Along the way, we will connect these activities to real uses of AI in everyday life and careers in computer science. This session is designed to be hands on, engaging, and beginner friendly, with a focus on helping students understand that AI is not magic. It is built on patterns, decisions, and human choices. Students will leave with a clearer understanding of how data shapes AI systems and why thoughtful design matters.

Climate Change and Extreme Weather- Dr. Wendy Johnson, National Center for Science Education

We often hear about extreme weather like hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires and it seems like these events are becoming more frequent and intense. In this session we will explore the data on extreme weather and use a mathematical model to explain its relationship to climate change.

FBI's Most Wanted: Your Tech Skills - FBI Digital Operations Specialist Aaron Greb and Community Outreach Specialist Christopher Wasinski 

Curious about what it’s like to work for the FBI? Join us to learn about the FBI’s mission to keep the country safe and how you can be part of it—especially if you love technology and cybersecurity! We’ll dive into cool tech roles, real-world cyber investigations, and how high school students like you can get a head start through internships and programs designed to build your skills and open doors to exciting FBI careers. Whether you dream of stopping hackers or protecting our nation, this session will show you how to kickstart your path in a tech-driven, and cyber-fueled workplace.